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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bore · vault · tear · lash · file · charge · band · club

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. tear — to rip
  3. club — for golf
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. charge — a price
  6. tear — from crying
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a tool
  10. band — a music group
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. tear — from crying
  13. charge — in control
  14. file — a document
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. vault — a safe
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. bore — to drill
  22. band — a ring
  23. club — for dancing
  24. club — a group

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com